LYON: The Australian Orica-GreenEDGE team's blueprint plan to claim a third win in this year's Tour de France fell two thirds of a wheel short of being perfectly executed on Saturday when their in-form Swiss recruit Michael Albasini was pipped for victory in the hilly 14th stage.

The 191km stage from Saint Pourcain sur Sioule to Lyon was won by Italian Matteo Trentin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), 23, who came from behind Albasini, 32, just before the line. In third was American Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) who moved up 12th on the overall classification as a result.

Matteo Trentin celebrates as he wins Stage 14. Photo: AFP

The three stage leaders were in an 18-strong breakaway group that was reduced to 12 riders for the sprint finish.The lead group was cut in size over an aggressive last 15km that saw the group finish 7mins 17secs clear of the peloton.

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The peloton was led by three of British Tour leader Chris Froome's Sky teammates - Ian Stannard, Kanstantsin Siutsou and Peter Kennaugh.

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Froome was fourth to finish in the peloton and retained his overall Tour lead that remains at 2mins 28secs on Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Belkin), and 2mins 45secs on Spaniard Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) for Sunday's 15th stage from Givors to the summit of Mont Ventoux in Provence.

All the other major Tour contenders were in the same group as Froome as well, including Australia's Cadel Evans (BMC) and Michael Rogers (Saxo-Tinkoff) who both dropped one place overall - but only because of Talansky's rise from 17th at 13mins 11secs to 12th place at 5mins 54secs.

Evans, 43rd on the stage, is now 13th overall but is still at 6mins 54secs to Froome, while Rogers is 14th at 7mins 28secs. Meanwhile, Australian Richie Porte (Sky), 25th on the stage, is 31st overall at 30mins 4secs to Froome for whom he will be called on for major support on Mont Ventoux.

For Orica-GreenEDGE, Albasini's was bitter sweet. The scenario before him was similar to when he won stage 4 of Paris-Nice earlier this year.

While Albasini was frustrated for narrowly missing the stage victory, he and the Australian team showed they are still hungry to win.

Before the hot and windy stage, the team had Albasini, and Australians Cameron Meyer and Simon Clarke as options for the winning break.

The team's head sports director Matt White told the team that did not want any of them trying to win in a small break, but one that numbered "16 or so" riders.

That is exactly how the stage panned out and Albasini looked set to reap a fitting reward for some strong riding by him physically and tactically in the decisive break of which the top 12 finishers also included Spaniards Jose Rojas (Movistar), Egoitz Garcia (Cofidis), German Simon Geschke (Argos-Shimano), Frenchmen Arthur Vichot (FDJ), Cyril Gautier (Europcar) and Julien Simon (Sojasun), Russian Pavel Brutt (Katusha), Dane Lars Bak (Lotto-Belisol), and Belgian Jan Bakelants (RadioShack).

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"To be in the breakaway, for sure [it took a] little bit of experience to be there, but you needed also the legs," Albasini said, as he sat with sweat still pouring from him on the steps of the team bus after the stage. "I was good today. I had pretty good legs and in the final I was always near and up in the race.

"The only mistake I did was [in] the last sprint, to start a little too early, but Bakelants was slowing down so I tried to go. I didn't look backwards and didn't see Trentin ... but I was going full gas and had no reserves to go faster. He had a little bit more feeling in the sprint. He was strong in the sprint."

Albasini's experience has also taught him how to handle the setback of such defeats. "It happens on the Tour. To lose by that much in a sprint like this hurts, but that's the Tour. He was the better, smarter rider today. But I'm happy with my performance. I'm getting close, but it didn't come to the end," he said.

Albasini added that the team was intent on being in the action in the coming days before the Tour finishes in Paris on Sunday. "We will try to go for a stage win," Albasini said.

"The Tour is not over until Paris. Everyone [in the team] can have a go. Today, it was up to me. I had a go and missed it by not much, but then I have to be happy."